The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is hauntingly-realistic civil war novel.  It is said that people at the time of its publication were convinced that Crane himself must have been there, in the war, but he wasn’t. 
It follows the journey of a youth, Henry, from the beginning of his enlistment to the end of the war.  Crane takes an interesting approach to narrating the novel.  The narrator only calls Henry, the youth, and other soldiers are referred to as the loud soldier or the tall soldier.  It emphasizes a harsh point regarding war: that one person doesn’t not matter but the army as a whole matters.  Henry is just another soldier that might die or might survive.  The war will not be won by one man.  It is impossible. 
Another harsh fact the novel brings to light is the real definition of courage.  The youth enters the war solely to gain courage and to gain glory.  He loves the ancient Greek wars, and like many people, ourselves included, he has painted a picture in his head of what war will be.  That picture will be shredded.
Read The Red Badge of Courage to find out if Henry, a simple and somewhat cowardly youth, will win courage.  Will he die?  Or live on?
The book is great for discussions regarding heroism, realism, and all in all, courage.